UCI Beall Applied Innovation startup company VolunteerCrowd officially launched its paid service, Volunteer Transcript and Portfolio, which verifies the real-world service contributions of college-bound students. The service produces a transcript for students to include with college, internship, scholarship, and job applications.
Part of Applied Innovation’s Wayfinder program, VolunteerCrowd is the first student volunteer service created to meet the specific needs of K-12 through college volunteers. The The Volunteer Transcript and Portfolio includes the startup’s free app, which uses Software as a Service technology to allow students to find, request and track volunteer projects and produce a verified transcript and portfolio that features their service achievements. It costs $8.25 per month, paid annually.
The free app was officially launched this past summer and replaces the standard paper volunteer logs used by most schools and clubs.
“We built VolunteerCrowd for the students and educators who feel lost when it comes to finding and verifying volunteer projects and representing students’ contributions,” Amy von Kaenel, founder and CEO of VolunteerCrowd, said in a press release. “Little did we know we would launch the company as the college admissions scandal was sweeping the country, urging conversations about transparency and qualitative indicators of character strengths.”
Earlier this year, VolunteerCrowd won the “Social Enterprise” pitch contest in Paul Merage School of Business’ New Venture Competition. They have also benefited from being part of the Wayfinder incubator.
“It takes a village to launch a startup,” said von Kaenel. “Applied Innovation provides access to the Southern California investment community and the vital resources that come long before a successful pitch. I’ve worked with advisors who have guided me on positioning and messaging, SEO and digital strategy, and financial modeling. The mentorship and encouragement are invaluable to get through the multi-year commitment of building a thriving enterprise.”
Learn more about VolunteerCrowd.
*Main photo: Amy von Kaenel, founder and CEO of VolunteerCrowd, pitches her company to a crowd of investors, entrepreneurs and fellow startup teams during a Wayfinder Showcase event at the Cove @ UCI Beall Applied Innovation.